


Adopted

by Valaks



Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Bring K Unit Back in Style 2020, Broke: K Unit Adopts Alex, Fluff and Angst, Flufftember, Sassy Alex, Woke: Alex adopts K Unit, Wolf is A Boomer, pen pals fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:26:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26087902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valaks/pseuds/Valaks
Summary: SAS Units never get adopted. It’s always the RAF guys strutting around base with boxes of goodies bought by the parents of rich kids going through Citizenship classes back home. Until one day they receive a slightly dented brown box posted from “Brookland Comprehensive” in Chelsea to “K Unit”. There were plenty of other ‘K Units’. It had been a training designation more than anything, really, but before the post master could declare it a mistake, they had hustled it back to their barracks just happy to finally be adopted even if it was by a smart mouthed little shit by the name of Alex Rider.
Relationships: Alex Rider & Wolf
Comments: 58
Kudos: 414
Collections: AR Flufftember 2020





	1. Chapter 1

SAS Units never get adopted. It’s always the RAF guys strutting around base with boxes of goodies bought by the parents of rich kids going through Citizenship classes back home. Command’ll sometimes come out with heartwarming stories of kids who got connected with a unit in school that went on to later join up. It’s all that emotional bullshit that he really should have set to auto delete by now but hadn’t been able to figure it out and Eagle just laughed at him when he finally got up the courage to ask. 

Instead Wolf’s rather extensive family had done the lion’s share of adopting their unit. Abuela made sure a care package with all of their favorites arrived every few weeks. Eagle’s wife would send things for the group occasionally but things were tight with the new baby so none of them expected it or wanted it, Snake didn’t have a family to speak of really and Ram, well, it was better not to bring up his situation at all. 

Abuela had sent their last care package last week complete with individual letters that prattled on about what she was up to and how proud she was of “her boys”. Wolf always tried to snatch those out of the box but they always ended up distributed. Ram posted his newest one on his bunk allegedly to tease Wolf but with the way he kept the others stacked carefully in his footlocker, James got the feeling that they meant more to him than he would admit to anyone other than his Abuela. He had let her know as much in one of his first letters back and received an extra package of Nik Naks for it. Ram had started receiving longer letters around that time. Wolf didn’t mind. He knew he got lucky when it came to the “family” department and he wasn’t a jealous man, so he was more than happy to share it. 

But they had all been understandably confused when they received notice of a package for their unit. Not for any of them individually, for them as a _unit_. They hustled to BFPO as soon as they finished breakfast and were rewarded with a slightly dented brown box posted from “Brookland Comprehensive” in Chelsea to “K Unit”. There were plenty of other ‘K Units’ it had been a training designation more than anything but before the post master could declare it a mistake, they had hustled it back to their barracks. Eagle and Ram had torn through it and begun sorting the snacks with unabashed glee while he and Snake, being the more mature and senior ranked members, had begun going through the letters the kids had written. 

Most of them were generic statements of appreciation that had obviously been part of an assignment. But one had stuck out to Wolf. It was from a kid whose Dad had been in the paras. It hadn’t been filled with vapid praise except for “thanks for saving my life or whatever, you great prat” which he would normally take for disrespect if it wasn’t for the clearly teasing nature of the entire letter with statements about how he hoped he wasn’t choking on the glorified cardboard they had the gall to call MREs and how Welsh mud came straight from the devil’s arsehole and ended with a line that maybe he’d see him out in the field one day if they were both very unlucky. The kid, whoever he was, had a sense of humor and Wolf was just bored enough out here playing in the sandbox that he might want to write the kid back. Thankfully the letter had his name and address at the top - Alex Rider.

He scribbled out a letter affirming that MREs were shit but they were better than the slop at Beacons, and told him the story about face planting during a ruck march and Sarge making him roll completely in the mud and only narrowly escaping being codenamed Pig because of another recruit doing the same and having decidedly more pig like features, and how he also hoped to never see the kid in the field but if they were he was definitely taking all of the his macaroni and chili MRES in exchange for his chicken a la king because it was bullshit and Alex was a little shit who deserved it (but don’t bully anyone in school, no one likes a dick). 

They had been sent on a spec ops mission afterward and he had almost forgotten all about his letter until he saw the distinctive envelope of a bluey stacked on top of the box from his Abuela. He shoved the box at Ram telling him to earn his keep and snatched the envelope smiling slightly when he saw “Rider” nearly printed on the “from” label. He was ripping into it before they even reached the barracks much to the amusement of the rest of the unit. The kid was just as funny as his first letter - It didn’t start with a greeting, just a statement that he could pry his macaroni and chili MREs from his “cold, dead hands” and moving on to tell him about how Citizenship was bullshit but he didn’t need a lecture to pay attention because he was just grateful to get to _go_ to school and that Wolf was probably shite at giving lectures anyways, too many words so he should spare both of them and just generally spent two pages bitching about random shit like how the government sucked and how his classmates were ‘vicious little fucks’ when they had a debate on enhanced interrogation “or whatever bullshit the Americans are calling torture these days” and how it was so nice to not be covered in sand and how Wolf would probably be finding sand stuck in all kinds of crevices for _decades_. By the end Wolf’s cheeks hurt from repressing a smile and he was grateful for whatever BFPO mistake had gotten them the box in the first place because this kid clearly needed a strong male figure in his life to tell him he was a little shit and to respect his elders. That was probably what had gotten his rank changed on every subsequent letter to “Boomer”. He only half pretended to be mad when Eagle spotted it in on the envelope he had thrown into the trash.

Writing to a kid was less weird than he thought it would be. Probably because Alex’s writing implied a maturity more on par with Wolf’s current peers. With Eagle and Ram in his unit it wasn’t high praise but it was still there. He kept it mostly to heavily edited anecdotes of his time in the sandbox, funny and serious alike. Alex never mentioned wanting to go into the military but he was still writing which implied a passing interest. His response to an attempt at humor about tactics that probably should have gone over his head was a detailed and frighteningly accurate drawing of the base and what his recommended approach would have been and honestly Wolf hadn’t even _thought_ of that. His comment that the kid would do well in the military was rebuffed with a “Tried it. They didn’t like me very much, got another job that appreciates having a brain and knowing how to use it.” Which he didn’t know what that meant entirely but wrote it off to the kid just having a fucking _mouth_ on him. He laid off mentioning it as a career path but kept the stories up if only to have _something_ to add to the conversation. Wolf honestly didn’t have anything else to talk about besides his family and since he didn’t know the state of the kid’s it would be rude to bring anything up about it. Besides Abuela. She was an Angel and everyone could appreciate hearing about her. Alex certainly did. He asked for more stories and he was half tempted to give her his address so he could gain first hand appreciation. Maybe if Alex ever stopped responding? He filed it away under “the nuclear option”. 

They exchanged letters for 3 months much to the amusement of the unit who was privately speculating that “Alex” was codename for his girlfriend despite his very angry protest that Alex was a _kid_ number one and two was a _he_ . His perfect handwriting wasn’t helping Wolf’s case in that department but his sassy letters making the rounds eased tensions. That they continued to receive packages from his class helped too. It was a miracle, because Citizenship packages usually only came for two months at the _most_ and _never_ during summer break but they kept coming. There were fewer letters but they were still there and it was nice and he imagined that Rider had something to do with it. The kid sounded like he had a good head on his shoulders and would do something like that for four lonely, sweaty men stuck in a desert with thousands more. 

He pretended not to be hurt when he didn’t hear from the kid again for a month. But was distracted when he got a _phone call_ from someone in SIS that Cub had gotten appendicitis and that they could deliver a letter for him. It had not been a suggestion. The postage that he had saved for Alex’s letter went to a card for Cub instead. It didn’t say much. He wasn’t sure where he stood with Cub after Beacons and the plane and Point Blanc. But he sent it and hoped he wouldn’t get busted down for not being more touchy feely in it since apparently SIS had taken an interest in him and Cub. 

Then he finally got another letter from Alex apologizing for being out of touch but didn’t say much more on it. Just went back to being his usual obnoxious self talking about how injuries sucked and hospitals were torture and medics were the devil but don’t tell Snake because he’ll rip your leg hair out with medical tape and that shit _hurts_. He didn’t say why he was in the hospital and Wolf didn’t want to pry, just told him to listen to his doctors so he didn’t fuck himself up down the road. Snake had just laughed when he read that over his shoulder and threatened to keep the letter just to have it in writing. 

Alex went radio silent for another month after that. Maybe he had gotten sick or something else had happened. He hoped the kid was okay but he doubted he would find out. Their tour was almost up and he was questioning whether to send the kid a letter with his own address so they could still write once he got back home. It might be too creepy. He was set against it until Ram had cornered him alone outside the barracks and told him to send it which was shocking on its own because Ram got serious even less than Eagle but apparently he identified with the kid since it was obvious that he had lost at least his Dad and was reaching out to _someone_ and ‘damn it, Wolf, just give him the option, alright? We’re tired of dealing with you fretting about it, you’re being even more of a dick than usual.’ So as they packed up the barracks they sent one last letter to the school thanking them for adopting their unit and offering to stop by for a talk and Wolf sent one to Alex with his email and contact information ‘not to be creepy but we’re headed home so if you want to talk or whatever you can reach me here. You better be okay, you little shit.’


	2. Missing

After 6 months on tour being back had felt strange. Like he was living in someone else’s body. Everything he did felt rehearsed and off in a way he really couldn’t articulate. There were a million things to worry about that Command took care of for them overseas and yeah he had sat through the stupid readjustment classes like everyone else but actually being back home….it was difficult. 

Abuela, of course, helped in her own special way. She had gone through this with his Dad too. She didn’t tell him what to do (for the most part) or do anything for him. She just made everything a group activity. She needed shopping done and having her big, strong soldier to help carry her groceries would certainly help. That it got Wolf out of his flat for the first time in days and got him real food and not the frozen TV trays he had taken to after he had exhausted the meals she had frozen for him helped. During the shopping she kept a steadying hand on his elbow, allegedly to support her ‘frail old body’ but whenever Wolf tensed at an unexpected sound there was a reassuring squeeze, a beat of silence and then some question usually mildly inappropriate to distract him. Meals were made together too - help for her ‘poor arthritic hands’. Wolf had seen those hands in action  making their weekly family dinner and had assessed their strength when she delivered a stern pinch whenever he said something a little too rough around the kids who were at another table so really, they were fine. Pointing this out had been met with predictable results “ _ I will box your ears, James Gabriel, soldier or not, don’t test me. _

She really was an amazing woman, and good enough that she recognized something was off, more than just post deployment jitters, by the middle of the second week. She had lured him to her house with a promise of Paella and he wasn’t going to turn that down even though he knew very well that he was walking into a trap. It had taken her a grand total of 30 minutes to pull the information from him. RTI was a joke compared to an inquisition from her. Fucking green jackets needed to learn a lesson. He flatly denied fretting over the kid. Which was met with a firm smack of a wooden spoon on the back of his hand.  _ “I don’t allow false bravado under my roof, you’re worried. Keep reaching out and try to be there for him when he does respond and do not make any snap judgments, James San Luca! You were no angel at his age either!” _

Wolf wasn’t the only one worried. After a courtesy week he checked in with the guys to see how they were doing. It was “encouraged” for unit leaders to do that which is what Wolf would hang his hat on if pushed. But he really he missed the salty sons of a bitches even if he would never tell them - though Eagle and Ram had specifically asked if he had - heart emojis and all. Fuckers. They had all, every single one, asked if he had heard from or seen Alex. When he said no Snake had taken it in stride and told him to give it time, Eagle had told him that kids were the fucking nightmares but he should try to reach out. Ram, poor lonely Ram who had been couch surfing with a few friends from his old RAF days, had offered to go with him to visit. Wolf had declined and, after pressing for details on his living conditions, broached the subject with Abuela. Ram had a standing invitation and a room set up within the hour. Arrangements were also made for a unit dinner at Abuela’s on Friday nights. The Sunday family dinners were overwhelming even for Wolf. He had only pulled a knife twice when he was startled, his family had tolerated it well but he didn’t want to put the rest of the guys in that position. They could have gone to a pub but that was still too many people and anyone’s flat would be a chore especially compared to the warm, open, well stocked kitchen Abuela offered. 

It was the Wednesday before their first unit dinner when Wolf got the call from Brookland asking them to come present at their Monday morning assembly. He had agreed without hesitation, he wasn’t going to pass up a chance to make sure their little shit was okay. A speech in front of a bunch of snot nosed brats could be tolerated for that and it would be less creepy than a bunch of soldiers piling over to his house. He probably should have asked the other guys first but sometimes there were perks to being unit leader and voluntolding was one of them. Unsurprisingly no one fought it.

One of the downsides of being the unit leader was organizing the fucking thing. He spent the next few days in a whirlwind of emails and phone calls with the communications team at Command. Reviewing powerpoints, getting anecdotes approved, he even secured pay for it. The guys could thank him later. They all owed him a beer for that one. Unfortunately, they were going to appear in those fucking emails he hated - they would never live it down if any of the other units they trained with ever found out. Thankfully, no one ever read the fucking emails so they should be safe. Should. He hoped.

He was more than a little nervous at the possibility of seeing Alex. Realistically, he didn’t even know if Alex was still enrolled there, he may have gone to college by now or even joined up if he was old enough, but Wolf liked to think he would have told him that. He also may have died for all he knew. Alex had been MIA for almost two months now. Maybe he could ask to speak to the kid when they visited the school? That would be better. Even ground for both of them - Wolf could be assured that Alex was, in fact, alive and the kid could tell him to piss off after. Fine by him. 

They adjusted their uniforms and piled out of Ram’s tricked out Camero, his first purchase from his signing bonus like a bloody idiot, to make an entrance. The office treated them well, had snacks and water for them, thanked them for coming, walked them through the program of the assembly, and confirmed that Wolf could handle the PowerPoint clicker. 

A portly brunette woman cornered him just before the assembly. 

“Captain San Luca?”

“Ma’am”

“I’m Mrs. Baughman, Alex’s Citizenship teacher.”

“Pleasure, thank you for adopting us, it meant a lot to us while we were on tour.”

“Our pleasure and really you should thank Alex.”

Why should he thank Alex? Maybe she meant for keeping it going? He hadn’t even known the kid existed until his letter.

“Oh?”

“He uh...he suggested it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, he wrote a lovely essay about you and suggested we sponsor your unit as our Citizenship project.”

Wolf felt his mouth dry out at the news. How the hell did a kid know him well enough to write an  _ essay _ for him? Or that he was on deployment? None of his nieces and nephews were old enough to be in school and they didn’t live anywhere near Chelsea. It didn’t make sense. He needed more information. “Do you have it?”

“What?”

“The essay.”

“It should be in my email still. I’ll try and find it.”

He realized that probably came across as intense “Thanks, sorry, he uh...he’s not very good with talking.” 

Apparently Wolf wasn’t either by the way she smiled at him “Don’t worry about it.”

“I’d like to thank him in person, if that’s okay? I haven’t had a chance to run into him since we got back from tour.”

“I don’t think that’d be a problem so long as he’s in school” she huffed the last part like it should mean something to him. It didn’t, especially since Alex had repeatedly stated how much he was glad to be in school. But before he could ask more the headmaster stepped back from the podium “Go out there and knock em dead.” She smiled. 

A group of teenagers was a tough crowd, even talk of spec ops could only hold their attention for so long. Wolf’s heart wasn’t really in it. He was more curious as to who the hell Alex Rider was. He scanned the crowd for familiar faces but, unsurprisingly, found none. He should have stalked him on social media like Eagle had suggested but he imagined the man had already done that and he would have said something if he had found anything. 

When the assembly blessedly ended he fended off answering questions from the more eager students by escaping back to where Bray and Baughman were talking off stage. 

“Thank you again for coming out, Captain.”

“Our pleasure.”

“Unfortunately Mr. Rider didn’t come to school today.” He didn’t sound surprised at that and Wolf took that as his cue.

“I’m not his guardian or whatever but is everything okay?”

“We can’t say anything but….he’s had some personal challenges in his life, if you get a chance to talk to him he could probably use it.” 

He didn’t like the sound of that. Alex sounded like a good kid but maybe whatever had him in the hospital had affected him more than he let on. He knew the kid was alive now and he knew the kid had his contact information, he should leave it at that but when they got in the car he gave Ram the address for Alex’s house. Better safe than sorry.

When they arrived it was to a hysterical red headed woman who had immediately burst into tears the moment she saw their uniforms.

“Not Alex, no, please, please tell me he’s okay!” She begged through the tears. 

“He’s probably fine, ma’am,” Wolf tried to reassure her, being the leader sometimes had its downsides “We were actually coming to see if he was with you.”

Tears transitioned immediately into rage “You LOST HIM?!?!” She yelled, centimeters from Wolf’s face and honestly even the Sergeant would be jealous at the lungs she had on her.

Snake, God bless him, jumped in “Ma’am I don’t know who you think we’re with but we were just the pen pals for his Citizenship class. Wolf here’s been swapping letters with him for a while now but we hadn’t heard from him and when we gave a talk at his school today and he wasn’t there we came here to check on him.”

In yet another hairpin turn of emotion the woman straightened with an apologetic smile “Oh, that’s so sweet I’m...I’m sorry it’s been a rough couple of…can I get you some coffee or tea?” 

“We wouldn’t want to impose.” It wasn’t ‘hell no’ but it was close. Wolf had learned the hard way to stay away from crazy even if she was hot “but when Alex gets back from….wherever I’d... _ we’d _ like to see him.” Wolf kicked himself for the slip up, he probably wouldn’t hear the end of it on the ride back to home. 

“Yeah, I...no problem, I’m sure he’d like that.” 

“Thank you.” He gave her is number to contact him when Alex was back and hopefully for nothing else.

“Fuckin psycho there” Wolf murmured as they got in the car 

“Lay off Wolf she’s worried about Alex and it’s not like she’s the only one.” Eagle, ever the father, defended.

“Really worried. Jesus what’s he gotten into for her to react like that?” Ram questioned.

“Dunno.” Wolf frowned “But we’ll find out once I get a hold of him.” 

He ignored the stifled laughs and smiles and crossed his arms. The hell was the kid up to? 

Three days later at Sunday supper Wolf got a text from an unfamiliar number but he didn’t have to ask who it was “Heard you missed me, Boomer” was enough to both spike his blood pressure and relax him at the same time. Alex fucking Rider was back.


	3. Texting

He expected his Abuela to chastise him for having his phone out at the table, but the small smile on her face told him that she knew exactly who it was. Unsurprising, she was just that good.

“Go.” She dismissed him, a rare blessing. He didn’t question her, just slipped into the kitchen and fought down the urge to call the kid but talked himself down, didn’t want to scare the kid off. He needed answers and the thought of having to go back to deal with Alex’s crazy mom to get them sounded like hell. 

“ _Where the fuck were you, you little shit_?” He sent off, watching as the check marks lit up blue.

“ _This is why you’re single, Wolf. Can’t even wine and dine me first._ ”

He rolled his eyes “ _Don’t give me that, the hell were you? Your mom or whatever was worried sick._ ”

“ _Sorry about that, that’s just Jack. You’d be mental too if you had to deal with me on a daily basis._ ” It was dodge, but Wolf knew if he pressed too hard he’d scare the kid away. They could have a nice, long interrogation if he could ever get him at Abuela’s table. He’d even let her have the honors. She was brutally effective and Alex would have to behave himself which would probably be _fascinating_ to watch. 

“ _Can’t blame her. You sure you’re not in trouble or anything_?”

“ _I hear talking to strangers is bad, but here I am talking to some weirdo who came to my house to find me so, you know, no worse than usual_.”

Fucking insufferable, apparently nothing had changed. 

“ _If you’d been at school for that stupid assembly Command made us put on then we wouldn’t have had that problem._ ”

_“I don’t think Command made you put that on. I think you just missed me. Touching, really.”_

“ _You’re such a little shit._ ” Wolf ignored the fond smile crossing his face. 

“ _Not gonna even pretend to disagree then? Bold move. I’m telling Eagle_.”

“ _You don’t have Eagle’s number._ ”

“ _I could get it, he’s on instagram. Cute pics from your little slumber party. You guys do each other’s nails too?_ ” 

Eagle was officially having his cell phone privileges revoked. Still, it was as smooth of a chance to make that offer as he would get. 

“ _Why don’t you come next Friday and find out? It’s at Abuela’s house_.”

“ _Inviting me to a party at your grandmother’s house? On a Friday night? To hang out with a bunch of miserable old Boomers still pouring sand out of their ears? Yeah, hard pass._ ”

“ _Abuela will be hurt. Ram too but no one gives a shit about him._ ” Wolf was as well but he wouldn’t tell Alex that, no showing weakness. Not with this kid. 

“ _I didn’t say never just maybe not the first Friday after I was out of school for 2 months? Might have to have you guys do an op to exfil me from the mountain of homework_.” 

“ _You need help with it?_ ” It was a genuine offer. They’d probably be bollocks at it but 2 months of back work would be a bitch and a half.

“ _From you lot? Lol_ ”

“ _You know we all have degrees_.” He shot back, barely repressing an eye roll. 

“ _That doesn’t mean you’re smart_.” 

“ _Look, you little shit the offer’s there, exfil too so long as you try and get caught up_.”

“ _Yes_ , _Dad_ ” That was new and he _hated_ it. “ _Speaking of, I have to get up for school tomorrow so I’m out_.”

“ _Wouldn’t want to miss the crazy woman reading you a bed time story_.”

“ _Don’t be jealous because I can get a woman to talk to me for more than 10 minutes_.”

This. Fucking. Kid. 

“ _Go the fuck to sleep you little shit. Better not hear from you until after school hours, if ever._ ”

“ _Missed you too, Wolf_ ” he wasn’t sure if it was sincere or not but he would take it. He was just glad the kid was back and safe and in school. He had been more worried about it than he would ever admit. 

He pulled up the group chat “ _Alex is back and still just as much of a disrespectful little shit so I guess he’s okay._ ” 

“ _THANK GOD_ ” apparently Eagle had been more worried than he gave him credit for “ _Was getting sick of you fretting like a fucking mother._ ” Or he was an ass. 

Speaking of “ _He found your insta or whatever. No more cell phones for you at Unit events you fucking imbecile_.”

“ _Instagram, Wolf, you fucking Boomer_.” Ram was a dick too “ _Glad the kid’s okay. He coming on Friday_?”

“ _Said he didn’t want to spend time with “a bunch of old Boomers pouring sand out of their ears.”_

Snake responded with three emojis because he was _that guy_. “ _Sucks, wanted watch him call Wolf a Boomer to his face in front of Abuela._ ”

“ _Ooooh good point. We taking odds on which of them gets their ears boxed first?_ ” Eagle asked like the fucking traitor he was.

“ _Wolf since he’s the host._ ” Snake returned

“ _It’s settled then we’re kidnapping the kid. I have to see this._ ” How he hadn’t killed a single one of them on tour was a miracle. He was _not_ paid enough to deal with them. Babysitting was _such_ a chore.

“ _He has schoolwork, said he might come some other time_.” Hopefully that would derail that conversation. 

_“Does he need help? My sister is a tutor on the side_.” Snake _would_ offer that. 

“ _I’ll ask him when he takes a break from being a little know it all_.” Wolf 

“ _That’s practically an ‘I love you’ from Wolf.”_

_“When’s the adoption ceremony, we’ll get you some balloons and shit?_ ”

“ _And deal with the crazy red head? I learned my lesson about sticking it in crazy with Shannon._ ”

“ _Don’t lie Wolf you haven’t learned a damn thing._ ” 

“ _Note he disagreed because of the red head, not to adopting the kid, there’s a chance, boys_.”

“ _Good point, Ram, we may have some decorations left over from Oliver’s party last year._ ”

Wolf rolled his eyes. He really, really didn’t get paid enough for this. Then again he imagined this wasn’t what Command pictured for ‘post deployment check ins’. “ _You’re all dead to me, go fuck yourselves”_ There was a torrent of emojis and he shut his phone. If anything big came up they could call but he was done feeding into their bullshit. 

When he walked back into the dining room Abuela smiled up at him.“Looks like he’s doing well, will he make it Friday?” She asked

“Too much school work to catch up on.” Wolf shrugged. 

“Probably for the best, he’ll come eventually, James.” She smiled, patting his thigh comfortingly then turned back to the table at large.

He barely listened, his thoughts turning over his conversation with Alex - 2 months off school and he still didn’t know where he went. The school had all but said it wasn’t the first time which meant the kid had to be into something and with how his mom had reacted...he shouldn’t worry. Alex wasn’t his kid and he said he was getting back to homework. He seemed like a bright kid, he should just take Abuela’s advice and just be there for him. That’s all they could do right now anyways. 

Abuela pinched his thigh and he looked at her she nodded to the conversation. Apparently he had missed something because everyone was smiling at him or giggling in the case of his nephews. He couldn’t catch a fucking break. 


	4. Chapter 4

Wolf got another text out of the blue on Wednesday, this time from Fox, well, Ben Daniels according to the paper name plate jammed into the sign for the hospital room. He had apparently been shot on mission and was stuck in the hospital. From boring nights on watch he knew that Fox didn’t have a big family, his parents were divorced and couldn’t stand to be in the same city, let alone the same room as each other and his brother was at university in the States. He imagined he probably needed the company sooner rather than later. Wolf would drag the others down when they were back in town, maybe Friday if Fox...Ben wasn’t out by then. 

“You look like shit.” He greeted the moment he walked in the door and Fox rolled his eyes, but it was more for show than anything. 

“Can’t say you look any better.” He returned “How was the sandbox?”

“Fucking dream, you really missed out, spending six months in a desert with a sweaty Eagle and pissed off Snake bitching at you to drink more is definitely my idea of a good time.”

“What about Ram?”

“You mean your replacement?” Fox glared but it was half hearted at best “He’s an insane sharp shooter and about as serious as Eagle out of the field but they kept each other busy which is more than I can really ask for.”

“Another Eagle is exactly what you deserve.”

“Well if you had stayed with us and not  _ defected _ then I wouldn’t have to deal with him and we would be swilling beers at a pub instead of chatting like old ladies over your hospital bed.” 

“I’m sure you would have found a way to get me killed or land me in here.” Fox rolled his eyes. 

Apparently the bullet hadn’t killed his dramatic side. Pity. 

“Haven’t seen any of my unit in a hospital bed.” 

“Except you.” Ben smirked. Ass. 

“Seems you fared on your assignment bout as well as I did. What hellhole did you crawl out of anyways?”

“Australia.” 

“Sounds about right. What happened?”

“Classif-“ 

“Fox, I swear to God I-“

“I really can’t tell you, Wolf, the clearance on that op is insane. Double. Digits.”

Well fuck, The France mission had been the same and seen him shot too. Maybe that was just part of it? “Thought you were riding a desk. How the hell did you get mixed up on something like that?” 

“I imagine the same way you did.” He said looking pointedly over Wolf’s shoulder. 

He turned to see Cub standing frozen in the doorway. How hadn’t he heard the kid? Damn spooks. The teen quickly corrected himself and walked in, a little warily. He supposed that was only fair given their history. Cub didn’t look much better than the last time he saw him - pale and drawn, moving more gingerly than any kid his age should, then again, he had apparently just gotten back from an op with double digit clearance and Wolf  _ really  _ didn’t want to think about what that meant. 

“Should I come back at another time? Don’t want to interrupt the happy reunion.” He asked with just the slightest hint of sarcasm. Typical. Apparently being a little shit was a fucking trait for this generation. 

“Depends on if you think we can all survive in the same room without being shot?” Cub physically winced at that. 

“James” Ben chided. “It’s fine, Al-“ 

“Cub.” The teen corrected, shooting Ben a pointed look. 

“Al..”

“Ben, that was the name of my cover. Use my codename or don’t call me anything at all.” 

Fox didn’t look convinced. “Fine,  _ Cub _ .” Correction.  _ Definitely _ wasn’t convinced. 

Cub just rolled his eyes and turned to Wolf and  _ fuck  _ he looked worn out. “Anyways, thanks for the card.”

Nice of him to mention it, more credit than he would have normally given him, but then his brain actually processed just  _ why  _ he had sent the card. “That was, what, a month ago? How were you on mission already if you had surgery?”

“Classif-“ Wolf felt the same spike in his blood pressure that always came when he heard that word. 

Fox cut across the inevitable argument “What surgery?”

“Nothing.” Cub snapped at the same time that Wolf cut across with “Appendicitis or whatever”

Fox’s eyes widened at that, apparently Cub hadn’t shared that he had been in surgery with his partner. This would be a fun lecture to watch.

“You didn’t tell me you got shot!” 

Alright, so that was not the reaction he was expecting. 

“I didn’t, Ben, it was just appendicitis.” He said evenly, too evenly. 

“How the hell did you get shot?” 

“I didn’t” 

“Al-“

“Cub.” The teen interrupted “or I’m not answering a single fucking question.” He hesitated “Not that I can promise that I can answer any of them anyways but whatever.” He crossed his arms and settled against the wall. 

“Fine. How did you get shot?” Fox started

“I didn’t.” Cub protested again, he sounded sincere. Wolf wanted to say that there was no way a kid Cub’s age had seen a gun let alone been shot by one but it was Cub who had trained with them during Selection without saying a damn word about it and apparently had been on at least 2 missions with an absurd clearance level in the time since then. 

“Look I don’t know what kind of mental gymnastics you’re doing for that to read as not a lie but “appendicitis” is what ‘6 uses every time so long as it’s not lethal or crippling. So try again,  _ Cub _ .” Fox apparently had no chill with Cub’s bullshit which was refreshing. Kid could probably use that. 

He tensed, then deflated. “Fine.”

“Where did you get hit?” Wolf asked 

“Classified”

“It can’t have been your limbs because you were able to move fine and…”

“Are you asking a question or telling me?” Cub demanded

Fox just glared at him then relented “Were you even cleared for the field?” 

“I was in it.” He shrugged

“That doesn’t mean a damn thing.” 

The teen rolled his eyes “Take it or leave it. Your call.

“Have you  _ at least  _ seen a doctor since we got back?” Fox sighed and the brief look of confusion that flashed across Cub’s face answered that question. 

“Hit the call button, I’ll hold him down.” Wolf offered

“Jones’ got my appointment booked, had to work around school, you know the thing that kids go to.” 

A post op appointment especially if he had been  _ shot _ was just a  _ little _ more important than school but whatever. Ben seemed to agree since he was back looking like a fish out of water, he’d let him take this one, Cub was definitely  _ his _ problem now. 

“Jones? As in the Deputy Director? She’s your handler?”

“Sure?” Alex shrugged. Well shit. How deep in this  _ was _ Cub? 

“Speaking of, I do actually have to do some paperwork, not all of us just get to kick back and relax all day.”

“My handler said that  _ I _ got stuck with the mission report.” Fox narrowed his eyes and Cub totally deserved that because mission reports were a bitch and a half. The one he had to write for the France debacle had taken a solid 12 hours. 

Cub was completely unapologetic and just shot him a smirk “It’s real nice to be the senior agent, Daniels, means you don’t get stuck with the bitch work.”

He couldn’t stop a snort of laughter at that. 

Fox shot him a glare then turned his attention back to Cub who was shouldering a backpack. And that had to suck too. Wolf had struggled readjusting to normal life after tour but coming back after mission to go into a building with a bunch of noisy ass teenagers. Must be hell. “Probably only got out of it because the words are too big and Jones wouldn’t approve of you submitting it in crayon.”

“I’ll remember that comment next time you bitch at me to get you some more water. Might find something else in that drink and not the good stuff.” The deadly smirk on his face made Wolf completely confident that Cub could and would poison someone given the right incentive. Terrifying. 

“Don’t you have homework to do?” Fox returned, with rolled eyes, obviously not taking the threat seriously. 

“Yeah, whatever, see you tomorrow, gramps. I’ll let one of the nurses know to stop by and change your depends, might help with that shitty attitude.”

“Brat.”

“Boomer.”

“No respect in this generation, I swear.” Ben sighed theatrically but Cub was already out the door, throwing up a middle finger as he went. 

“He always like that? Remember him being a lot quieter in Selection.”

“We were kind of cunts to him back then, to be fair.” Fox pointed out 

“Yeah, but you’re his partner now right?”

“Nope, wasn’t even assigned to work with him on mission, just kind of….found him. Can’t get fucking rid of him now though. He’s stopped by every afternoon since I got stuck in here.”

“Sounds like a good kid.” It was more than most would do even if Ben likely got shot because of him.

“More than he has any right to him given what he went through on that op, Jesus.”

He’d been good in France too and that was after he had been thrown off a train into a barbed wire fence. Cub probably had only improved since then. He’d been on what? At least 3 missions now his, Fox’s, and whatever one he’d gotten shot on. Speaking of...

“He didn’t answer a single question, did he?”

“Shit!” It was the first time he’d heard Ben curse, he realized. Had he been watching his language for Cub? Because if so he would never live it down. He’d have to confirm when he visited again, bring some snacks from Abuela to watch the fireworks. He’d ask when he got home but he was 90% sure she already knew - probably had his phone bugged or some shit. “I’ll interrogate him tomorrow, the fucking brat.” 

Fucking brat. 

Wolf supposed he already had a little shit, Cub deserved a nickname too for that little display. 


	5. Chapter 5

“ _ You sure you can’t make it? We can give you a ride if you need it.”  _ The kid had said he couldn’t come tonight but Wolf couldn’t stop himself asking 

_ “I have better things to do”  _ Wolf winced at that but it changed into a scowl at the next text “ _ Like literally anything else than painting my nails and playing Never Have I Ever with a bunch of lonely boomers.” _

_ “You’re just salty you would lose.” _

_ “I’ll at least win “never have I ever been turned down by a woman” unlike the rest of you lot.”  _

_ “Eagle’s married.”  _ He pointed out, knowing it wasn’t much of an argument.

_ “Miracles happen. What’s that say about how single you are?”  _

Why did he put up with this?  _ “Little shit.” _

_ “Boomer. Have fun at the slumber party. Can’t wait to see Eagle’s updates on insta.”  _

_ “Arse. Get your fucking studying done so I can properly beat the shit out of you.” _

_ “What would Abuela say if she heard you talking to a child like that?” _

_ “Probably ‘Get back to studying.’ .” _

_ “I hate you.” _

Wolf didn’t bother responding to that. Sometimes you just had to take the win. It sucked that they wouldn’t get to meet Alex in person but they would have their hands full if Fox was able to drag Cub like he had all but threatened to. From the way the kid doted on him he wouldn’t be surprised if he came out of pity. Cub was a brat but he was doing right by Fox no matter how much sass came with it. 

Fox didn’t seem to mind either despite all the huffing and eye rolling. Thankfully he was getting out of the hospital today and Eagle had offered to pick him up so Wolf could ‘help’ Abuela and secretly steal food. He pretended not to be affected by the crack of the wooden spoon across his knuckles but that was another sensation that hadn’t improved with age. Maybe something to consider if he ever got to run RTI. The recruits wouldn’t stand a chance. 

He was alerted to their arrival by the sound of the door swinging open and Fox chiding Eagle for not knocking. 

“It’s rude.”

“It’s  _ Wolf _ , he’s the epitome of rude.”

“It’s his Abuela’s house, not his.” 

Eagle didn’t even bother with a response just beamed as he came around the corner “Wolf! Glad I didn’t take the car seat out because look who showed up with our Foxy lady!”

“I can hit him if you’re too injured?” Cub offered 

“Please” Fox sniffed

Eagle managed to dodge the palm strike but Cub had hooked an ankle and pulled him off balance. Not enough to bring him to the floor just enough to make him stumble into Wolf. 

“Aggressive little thing, you got there, Fox.”

“His bark is worse than his bite.” 

“That’s not how that saying works….”

“No, really, he has a fucking mouth on him,” Wolf interjected, “almost as bad as Alex.”

Eagle perked up at that and so did Cub oddly enough. “Is he coming?”

“No, said he didn’t want to come to our “Boomer slumber party”.”

“Don’t fucking blame him” Cub murmured under his breath and got a positive chilly look from Fox “I wouldn’t be here if  _ Mom _ hadn’t dragged me.” 

Wolf let out a bark of laughter as Alex stepped out of striking distance. “Careful, old man, wouldn’t want to put you back in the nursing home.”

“This was a mistake.” Fox moaned. 

“If you had just told us your were bringing *your* cub we could have brought *ours* and had a little play date.” 

“Maria would never let your subject Oliver to this.” Snake added in from where he and Ram had come in. 

“No, I meant Alex, our little shit.” He turned to Wolf accusingly “You didn’t tell him?”

“Didn’t tell me what?” Fox asked slowly, eyes cutting from Wolf 

“That we got adopted!” Ram exclaimed from behind them 

“No one would voluntarily put up with your shit. Wolf gets paid to and can barely stand it.” 

He wasn’t fucking wrong. “No, adopted by a civics class on deployment.” Snake filled in. Fox’s eyes cut to Cub and then his expression shifted into what Someone kinder than Wolf would call polite interest. Wolf called it the “civilian face”. 

“Oh? What school was it?”

“Brooklands Comprehensive but that’s not the….” Eagle began but Fox cut him off 

“Isn’t that where you go, Cub?”

“You sure your memory’s not acting up again?”

“Positive.” Fox returned without further comment

Cub’s glare could melt steel and Wolf stepped in “You go to Brooklands?”

“Yeah, heard you guys came and talked while I was gone. Can’t say I’m sad I missed it. Everyone kept bitching about this pompous asshole who wouldn’t shut up.”

“Yeah,  _ Eagle _ ” Always nice to blame someone else

“I didn’t even talk the whole time!”

“Miracle that” Snake murmured under his breath and got an elbow to the ribs for it. 

“If you’re all done rough housing dinner’s ready” Abuela cut in and he didn’t miss Cub’s shoulders sagging in relief. How cute, he thought Abuela would save him. If he thought he was getting out of this interrogation he had another thing coming. Abuela didn’t take prisoners and if Cub might know about Rider, well, he wasn’t above using some tips from RTI to get answers. From the way Fox was eyeing Cub he might help, injury or not. 


End file.
